offcntr | Entries tagged with workshops

My second Visiting Artist workshop was last Friday afternoon. It was what we call a sit-and-spin/throw; no hands-on experience for the participants, just watch as the potter throws pots, shares techniques, and answers questions. Had a bigger turnout than last time: eight signed up, seven actually came. One of the students was a repeat from Brushmaking, two regularly visited me at Market, and one was a Craft Center student employee who'd had to miss the last workshop because she was working the desk that day.

I over-prepared, as usual: made an outline with forms to throw and talking points, brought my own tools, of course, but also my throwing stool and bricks to raise up the wheel to a comfortable height. Washed off my hump molds for the first time in years. Brought fifty pounds of clay.

We blew through my set list in about two hours, forty minutes, so I declared a bathroom break, wedged up more clay, and took requests for the last hour. Talked about how to save your back--raise the wheel to the right height, lengthen the back legs of your stool a couple of inches--dissected centering techniques, how to lift pots safely off the wheel, and when not to. Threw bowls and mugs and plates and jars, even a couple of animal banks. Pulled and attached handles. Demonstrated profile ribs and custom tools, talked about how to make them. They asked a lot of questions, several of which I had answers to. In all, a wonderful afternoon.

And on the way out, I scored a nice bit of maple from the free bin in the woodshop, to make a new throwing stick.

...to our Brushmaking and Decorating workshop album: Michelle and her junco!

I'll be back at the UO Craft Center this Friday from 2-5 pm for a second workshop. Titled Potter's Tool Kit, I'll be demonstrated techiques, tricks and tools I'll garnered over 30 years as a production potter.

Following the workshop, at 6 pm, there will be an Artist's Talk and reception, also at the Craft Center. The talk and reception is free and open to the public. The workshop is $10 for UO students, $25 for the general public.

...dey's tiny brushes!

Did my first workshop at the UO Craft Center this afternoon. Turnout was small, but enthusiastic: five students, at least three of whom knew (or had purchased) my work at Saturday Market. It was a three-hour workshop, an hour longer than usual. The first part, I talk about my glazing and decorating techniques, and demonstrate, glazing and painting a few bowls. Taking suggestions from the crowd, as usual--this time, a fox, squirrel, hummingbird and giraffe.

Then I demonstrate making the actual brushes I use to draw with: fox squirrel tail, set in bamboo handles with epoxy. Make a couple of brush bundles, pull out a previously made one--a la TV cooking shows--to set in a handle.

Then I hand out squirrel tails, scissors, wax paper and tip molds--cake decorating tips set in a weighted film can--and everybody works on making their own brush or brushes, while I circulate and trouble-shoot. This group was a bit more skilled than average--nobody glued the wrong end of the hair bundle, for instance--the biggest problem we had was slip knots slipping before we could tighten the second knot.

Once everyone's brushes are assembled, I break out water pots and brush stroke paper--a water reactive surface that's black when wet, but dries grey again--so they can see what their new brushes are capable of.

This usually takes about two hours.

This time, though, I had a third hour to fill. So we let them practice with their new brushes on real pottery, either bisque they brought themselves, my unused demo bowls, or abandoned pots destined for the Lonely Craft sale. I waxed up the base, and dipped them, then they drew with black stain and their new brushes, colored in with my oxide and stain kit and brushes. Everybody had great fun, and turned out some really nice designs.

Jessie was inspired to try her hand at her own version of a fox and raven.

Becca glazed both inside and out on her bowl, using skills she learned from the Chinese Brush-Painting workshop.

Whitney painted tiny flowers, and Anna a very dapper chipmunk. Michelle brought her own bisque and painted quite a nice dark-eyed junco, but escaped before I could get a picture.

All in all, an excellent addition to the workshop. I'll have to keep it in mind for next time.

Looks like there are still five spaces available in my Brushmaking and Decorating workshop at the UO Craft Center. It's happening this Friday, April 19, from 2-5 pm, and you can register here. The workshop is open to everyone, not just UO students.

Once again, I'm vaguely famous. As part of the UO Craft Center's 50th anniversary celebration, I've been asked to be a Visiting Artist for spring term. There'll be a small art installation, Artist's Reception and talk, and a couple of workshops.

I started my professional career at the Craft Center. Just out of grad school, looking for a teaching position, but the only one I could land was as Resident Potter at the Center. I'd go on to spend 10 years there, during which time I threw production ware for Slippery Bank Pottery, started my own business, Off Center Ceramics, connected with my first gallery owner, Candy Moffett, whose Alder Gallery carried my sculptures for years, and eventually sponsored me to do a show in Washington, DC. It's no exaggeration to say that, without the Craft Center (and the Saturday Market), I wouldn't be a working artist today.

So it's wonderful being asked back, even if I won't recognize the place. A few years after I left, the Erb Memorial Union did a total remodel of our former wing, moved the Center to a new space. I get thoroughly lost whenever I visit.

Including last Friday, when I came to set up the show. I'd thought about bringing only pottery, like I did for Desk and Table, but honestly? After I got the van ready for Saturday Market, I just didn't have enough work. And the surplus pots from Wisconsin wouldn't arrive back in time to fill the gaps.

So I decided to stage a small retrospective. There's current decorated pottery, but there's also one of the first pieces I ever painted, a poppies plate made at the Tuscarora Pottery School in 1984. I have a story tile from my grad school days, raku and pit-fire pieces from classes I taught at the Craft Center, a painted tile that was published in Lark Books' 500 Animals in Clay, an earthenware painted albarello jar from my first summer teaching at Buck's Rock summer camp. A tile surround mirror, pots from my cupboard, a face pot inspired by the Southern Ugly Pot tradition. It's a transect of my pottery life, spanning decades and miles. And it's kinda cool to see all in one place.

Some samples:

Our last responsibilities as visiting artists were to each present a two-hour workshop. Denise's was publicized as "Sketchbook Workshop," mine as "Clay Workshop."

Neither was completely accurate. Denise was presenting on making your own sketchbook using artist's paper, card stock and the Coptic Stitch bookbinding technique. I, of course, was teaching brush-making and ceramic decorating techniques. Both were quite full: I had fifteen students, Denise had twenty-five, including my college color theory and watercolor prof. We both also had ten students from the Decorah Iowa High School Art Club.

As usual, I took requests from the audience for the decorating demo. This time's "stump the painter" champions: stingray and harpy eagle. Considering I painted the eagle from memory while the requestor looked for an image on her phone, I think I did pretty well.